Valve structure for tanks



eonven'ience en'counte'redV United States PatentfF V27,84` ,'8's7 V'ALVE STRUCTURE FOR TANKs Curtis F. Sasserson and Harold A. Johnson, Warren, Pa., assignors to Pennsylvania Furnace and Iron Company, Warren, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania .a

Application July 1, 1954, Serial No. 440,596

4 claims. (cl. 251-86).

used. A preferred temperature is about 490V Fahrenheit. i

Elevated temperatureshoweve'r, cause xpansiofn Aof metal parts and the formation of a sludgeithus creating a definite problem with respect to yalves for such usage.

" 7Valves which have' been commonly used for' the re- Vmovalof the asphalt from the tank of' the asp'halt truck have, in the past, been located in the bottom lof the tank and operated by a'wheel'ron its top. This' ne'cessitates the' use of a shaft which extends fronrthe'top of the tank th-roughthe asphalt contents t o the valve. With ,this arrangenient, thedistortion of thevalveparts', particularly of the=valvefse at and valve head, and the sludge which forms due to elevatedtemperaturesat which the asphalt is carried, causes the`V valve to stick or' clog or prevents it from seating properly. `In addition, theopcrating shaft is easily twisted ofiparticularly if the valve sticks.. If a shaft'of a greater diame'ter'is used to overcome this diificulty, vit becornes impossible to hand-*operate' it. ;The inwhen a 'shaft is' broken will be rfeadily'apparent. r

3.;The` difliculties'which'are caused by maintaining the 'asph'alt at elevated temperatures have v been reduc'e'd'in some cases by carryingthe asphalt at temperatur-es from 200 to 250 F. which, as has already been indicated,` is

not the temperature range desired.

`Diflicfulties c'ncounter'ed` due to the use of the valve Operating red which extends through the asplialt-carryin'g tank may be eliminatcd by'puttin'g the valve on the rear end of the tan-k nearits b'ottom'. This, of course, does not eliminate expansion anddistortion ofthem'etal parts ,of the valve. As a consequence, frequent grinding jobs 'on thevalve' seats 'are necessary.V 'Iniadditon, kdirt, sticks and Stones, etc., which are' impossible 'to 'avoid with sphalt, tend to plug v.or cock thel valve and prevent proper closfure. A truck which is :used as 'anasphalt truck in` .the summer can be econom-ical1y`-rernployed to carry heating oil (of much lower viscos'ity'than as'phalD'v in the Winter. This presents the problem of providi'ng a valvefor the tank which will be effective oreasily'adapted for use 'in connection with liquids of different natures vand viscosities.

Accordingly, it has been anobject ofthisinvention to provide a valve `which meetslthe above-dscussedrfactors and oveomes heretoforeencountered dificulties.

Another :object of thisdnvention has, been to provide a valve unitwherein, deformationof itsv parts due to tem- Vperature changes is reduced to `a minimum and ,wherein ,p z,840,337. Patented June. 24, 1958 ice 2 i the parts may expand and contract without impairing the elfectiveness of the unit. i I

Another object of thisyinvention has been to provide a valve unit wherein the seat parts may be qnickly and easily removed for replacement Aand wherein,'difierent valve heads may be used interchangeably. i

Another object of this invention is to' provide a valve of the charactcr discussed which is effective for use with liquidsV maintained at relatively high temperatures and for 'use' with' fluids of a wide range of viscosities.

The objects stated are merely illustrative. These and other objects will become more' apparent from a 'studyof the Vfollowing specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein: i 4

Figure 1 is a side sectonal view in elevation taken longtudinally through'a valve of our invention;

' Figure 2` is a fragmental sidel sectional' viewV in. ele- ,vation on the scale of Figure 1V and showing a modified type of valve head which is' suitable foruse with liquids of a lowerV viscosity, such as heating oil;

Figure 3's areduced side view inelevation and par- 'tial section showing the positioning of a valve unit of. our

tively simple control and shut-off valve constructionor unit that has a two-part, longitudinally-extending housing Vto be mounted endwise of the fluid tank or' container 35 and with its 'inlet portion opening in substantalendwise or horizontal alignment with Va bottom wall of the tank. The valve unit has an inlet passageway at one'end of its forward housng body or part 10 that is defin'e'd'by an annular valve 'seat mounting means, end ringf or reinforcing' bandpart 12. The mounting' means 12 Vhas a fluid passageway therethrough and is securely positioned about and in abutment within the, inner periphery or'walljofrva forward end of thehousing body. It extends lfrom such forward end and backwardly towards an, annulai' Vvalve seat means or ring part 1 3 to protect the latter from immediate or linitial contact with fluid'cntering the inlet from the' tank 35.

iThei valve seat means 13 is removably and sornewhat resiliently mounted in a spaced, air-insulated relationship with respect to an adjacent-wall portion of and within the forward'ho'using body 10 land remotely of the initi'al point of introduction of the fluid to the inlet portion, or in other words, behind the mounting part 12, and in a spaced rc- .lationship behind a back' end face of such part. The

`outer walls. i

.means 13 thus has a heat-insulated relationship vby' reason of itslocation and mounting. It will benoted Vthat the partii is open to the bottom of the co'ntainer or tank 35 to extend therefrom and is shown located in a remote `or spaced relationship with respect to inner walls ZS'of the container, closely adjacent its enter-walls 37, and in direct contact withy insulati-ng materiali39`betw`een the inner and The seat means or partr is'spaced forwardly-inwardflyfrom the part 12 and is insulated therefrorn by a heatlfrom the tank `35, 'directly in line with its Vertical head,

but` at substantiaily right angles thereto. In addition, the flow of fluid or liquid is substantially a`horizonta1 flow throughthc inlet of the valveunit and then immediately and, Vwithin the control Chamber and lfrom 'control parts Vof the valve, substantially perpendicular or `:ilnatecorrlance `tright'fangles to such inital flow and outwardly throughv outlet in the forward housing body that is located ass-10,387

working parts of the valve. We thus have been able to provide a valve unit that minimizes distortion and, at the same time, allows for slight heat distortion without destroying the etfectiveness of its sealing action; one in which the working parts are easily accessible for inspection, replacement and repair;and one in which such parts have an irnproved and highly effective and non-clogging ffsubstatially vertically' orl in thefdirection of its Vertical head in the'tank or container'. r i

q In' controlling and'shutting-ofiV fluid tlow,'vve` employ 'arfpair .of substantially-planar. or vopposed fiat seating faceafone `of .which is carried by the 'seatring means`13 'the'other'ofwhichis carried by a valve head 30.

-The valve headis removably carried on the end of a .-va1ve,stemM25 and in such a manner that it is-capable ofgafslightpivot action with respect'thereto, :in order to accurately seat upon the oppose'd seating surface or face of the seatring means 13. and to allow for anyA slight `heat distortionof the parts thatfmaypccur due to` heat from' the .tank or `from a liquid, such as zs'phalt. The valvehead 30iis. easily replaceable for repairandflfor adapting the .unit tov theicontrolliquids of 'different viscosities, compare thetype of head of Figure Als'vhich is suitable for heavier liquids and that of Figure ..2{Whiclft` is` suitable for -liquids fof lighterV visc'osiities andl fluids,'in` general. v w

Theiifvalve stem fof our unit journaled at a remote `or back end. ofthe -housing body part 10 and adjacent fa frontfendiof a secondorbonnet housing part 19 and is provided with a stufling box 32, the sealing action of .who'sepacking 33 is adjustable by means of adjustment bolts 35a, as applied by a slide sleeve or adjustment part .In addition, the length of the stem 25 is kept to a thestandpoint of an effective and eflicient length for the two-parthousing.` i

Referring particularly to Figure 1 ofthendrawings, ;the housing body part l10 is'shown of Vcylindrical con- -iystructionfand open at its opposite fends to receive other parts ,of thevconstructon. VThe'body 10 also has a bot- ;tomjopeningthrough its wall that defines the outlet that vismlocatecl closely adjacentits forward open end which v`. ,servestas `a fluid inle't.n Connector parttll is secured, as

byiyveld, metal w,` toestend.within the outlet to abut por- ;,tions of thebottom wal1`which define an outlet opening.

The part 11 extends 'downwardly therefrom and is shown z providedwith ahorirontal` flange 11a secured, as by weld -metal'wf` seating action. Reversals of fluid flow provided in the use of our construction minimize ditficulties which normally arise in connection with anapplication of a direct, vertical pressure head upon the valve parts and in connection with the operation of such parts.

In accordance with our invention, we provide an effective, foolproof valve unit and mount the unit on a fluid or liquid-carryingv tank in such a manner that all requirements are fully met and a full solution to the problem has been attained. That is, our evaluation of the problem involved, has resulted in a novel valve unit and a mounting construction for a fluid-carrying tank which minimizes `conduction Vof heatjfrom the fluid and tank to `the valve parts and assures maximum heat radiation from the valve parts, so that deformation of the parts is substantially eliminated. VIn addition, our valve unit provides a maximum of effectiveness with fluids of a ,wide range of viscositiesiand temperatures, enables the valve head and seat to bequickly and easily removed and replaced, and

permits"zsor ne jdistortion of the valve parts without impairing the elfetiveness of the unit. Specific features which contribute to our success' in solvingfthe problem at hand are discus'sed fully in the 4detailed description of the flgures below.

i The somewhat resilient, heat-resistant, annular gasket 14 of nsulating material, such -as glass fibre, asbestos, etc., is shown positioned on the inner face of the metal reinforcing banding ring and mounting means 12 to re- ,ceive af forward face of the seat means or ring 13, also of metal construction. Thering 13, as shown in Figure 1, .has an outerperiphery that is `spaced from the inner .periphery of `the wall of the housing part 10 and is thus mounted in position in a spaced and an air-insulated relationshipl with adjacent metal parts of the valve unit. .Suitable socket head,capstand screws orvbolts 13cextend through peripherally-spaced holes 13a in the seat means ,or ring 13 andengage. within axially-aligned threaded portions 12a in the banding Vand mounting means or ring ,12 to `seeurely and removablyhold the seat ringl 13 in f" ,'Ifhe-body-reinforcing, valve-'seat-mounting, banding ring o r means 12 of metal construction is secured within f the` forward end portion o f the body 10, :as by weld .;for'any slightheat distortion of the `cooperating parts -without adverselyaffecting their` seating relationship. ,Howeven in our'construction, `the seating parts are so positioned and constructedthat maximum heat radiationis provided ;and ,minimum heat: pick-.up -is assured. Further, the parts eliminate confined seating portions and 3 thus eliminate the difliculties which have heretofore been enc ountered in connection vwith dirt, sticks, stones, etc., -`which in prior'art" constructions tend to lodge between the seatingV surfaces. Also,` the positioning of the valve ;unitendwise and in an outwardly-extending relationship with respect to the `tank 35 reduces and minimizes heat L`transfer from the fluid and from the tank and provides a of heatradiation, particularly as to the critical .abutment with; the gasket 14V and ingan insulated relav`tionshp on the ring 12. The active seating surface of the ,seatring 13 is defined by a superimposcd, projecting annular end flange, lip or rim 13b whosel planar seating .face lies` outside .for endwise ofsuch ring and within the ;control-chamber of .the housing body 10.

' The hou'sing body 10 which defines the control `c .ber forrthe. valve is' closed off at its back end by a discllike, bonnet-supporting, partition. or isolating wall part .116 that within its inner pen'phery is adapted to carry the valve stufiing box 32.` VThe lrear bonnet body part 19 of cylindn'cal shape, at its front end carries a mount- 'ing flange or plate 17 sccured thereto, as by weld metal iw. Peripherally spaced-apart Vbolt and washer assemblies 18' .extend through the flange 17,.the wall 16, a gasket 15a intota rearflange15 .of the fbody part 10 and are ,threadably received by the latter to secure them together, Jas shown in Figurel. The flange 15 is secured, as by jweld metalow, about the back end fof the housing body 10. It will be notedthat thepart 17 has an inset rela- 'tionsjhip 'the 16` to4 abut ledge portion 16a thereofand hold thel part V17 ina positively aligned relationship Vwith respect'thereto. The bonnetbody 19 at its rear end, has a closure ring or wall 20 secured thereto, as by weld metal w, that arries a valvejazdjustment neck,` block orthreaded guide :means 21 which is thrcadecl through its axial center to Vreceive an adjustment portion 25h of thev valve stem =25; '7 Outer end'25aV of the valve stem 25 extends through a' hand wheel`26 and is' threaded to receive 'a nut and washer assembly 27 that securelyv and non-turnably mounts the wheel 26 in position. Inwardly, beyond the threaded adjustable portion 25b, the stem 25 has a bearing portion 25a which terminatest in a somewhat mushroom-shaped, pivot head portion 25d. It will be noted that the front face of the head portion 25d is ofV curvilinear or convex shape to abut against an inside face or wall of the head part 30. v

The partition wall 16, as previously Vpointed out, carries a stufling box assembly for the valve stem which comprises, the outer cup-shaped stuffy box part 32 secured, as by weld metal w, to the wall 16. The box32 has a front rim portion 32a' about the bearing portion 25c of the valve stem and behind such rim portion defines a chamber to receive suitable heat-resistant packing 33, such as of asbestostmate'ri'al'. The slide sleeve or adjustment part 34 also has an inner periphery, which, like the .'rim portion 32a, has a slight clearance spacing with respect to the bearing portion 25c of valve stem. The sleeve part has a flange portion' 34a through which peripherally-spaced bolt and washer assemblies 35 extend to, 'at their threaded ends, adjustably engage within the box part 32 and provide a suitably tensioned fiuid-sealing pressure upon the packing material 33.

The valve head part 30 has a substantially flat or planar seating face or surface 30a which is adapted to be moved into seating engagement with the substantially parallel seating lip 13b of the seat means or ring part 13. The valve head has a rearwardly-extending mounting sleeve portion 31 that is internally threaded at 31a to threadably engage upon a male threaded portion 28a of a sleevelike positioning part 28 which, as shown, has a slight clearance spacing within its inner periphery about the bearing portion 25a of the valve stem. A threaded set screw 31b is positioned to extend through the sleeve portion 31 and into the positioning part 28 to securely hold them in an assembled relationship with' respect to each other. It will be noted that the internal diameter of the portion 31 and the forward end of the positioning part 28 define a clearance spacing with the pivot head portion 25d of the valve stem. This construction and the clearance spacing provided, enables the valve head part 30 to slightly pivot about the curvilinear face of the head 25d, so that the head part will seek and find an accurate seat upon the seat part 13 when the valve is being closed.

In Figure 3, we have shown how a valve unit of our construction may be mounted on a container or tank 35.

As disclosed, the tank has an outlet 36 through its bottom end, as defined by its inner walls 38 and is cut-out about its outer bounding area to receive the body and the part 12 of the valve. As shown, the valve unit may be mounted on outer walls-37 of the tank, as by weld metal w. As disclosed, the end portions of the inner and outer walls 38 and 37 of the tank are cut away, so that insulating material 39 therebetween rests against the forward end of the valve unit.

The type of unit shown in Figure 1 is particularly suitable for a heated relatively heavy viscosity liquid, such as asphalt, but since it only defines metal to metal contacts at its seating surfaces, it may have a slight leakage when a liquid of lighter viscosity or a fluid is employed. In such case, we provide a modfied form of valve head 30', see Figure 2, which is of slightly larger diameter, but' has the same mounting and general construction as the head part 30 of Figure l and is easily replaceable with respect to the latter type. It will be noted that corresponding parts of the head 30' 'are numbered the same as the parts of the head 30, except that prime affixes are applied. The seating face 30'a has, as shown in Figure 2, an annular inset or groove portion 30'b of rectangular cross-section to receive a gasket ring 40 of suitable somewhat resilient, fabric, rubber or plastic gasket material therein. The seating 6 contact in this construction is thus provided between the face of the rim or lip portion 13b of the seating ring and the outer, substantially planar face of the inset gasket ring 40.

From the above description and discussed disclosure, it will be apparent that the valve head 30 or 30' can be easily and quickly replaced without disassembling thevalve unit by turning the stem 25 until the set screw 31b i's in alignment With the outlet connector 11. A't such time, the set screw 31b can be loosened or removed and the head part 30 or 30' can then be screwed or tumed off with respect to the positioning part 28 by working through the outlet opening. This Aprovides a quick 'and easy adaptation of a valve unit of our invention to different types of utilizations and as well as easy access to the critical seating faces or surfaces of the seatring. 13 'and-of the valve head.

We claim:

1a. A vehicular tank control valve suitable for li'quids` of different viscosity and temperature including a relatively high temperature which comprises, a hollow longitudinally-extending integral housing body defining a liquid control chamber therein, said housing bodyhaving an inlet portion at one longitudinal end thereof for integral mounting on the tank and a closely adjacent outlet portion at substantially right angles to said inlet portion, said outlet portion being directly open to said inlet portion through the control chamber, a support body secured to project from the opposite end of said housing body, means associated with said support body to close off the opposite end of said housing body and provide a stufiing box and an adjustable guide portion, a valve stem adjustably carried by said adjustable guide portion and having a mounting end portion projecting longitudinally through said stuffing box into the control chamber, a reinforcing ring integrally secured within the inlet portion of said housing body and extending longitudinally therealong to define an inlet passageway, temperature-resistant insulating means on an inner end face of said reinforcing ring, a seat ring positioned in a radially spacedapart relation with respect to and within the inlet portion of said housing body to insulate said seat ring with respect thereto, said seat ring having a forward end face positioned on said insulating means within the inlet portion at the control chamber, a seating lip on an inner end of said seat ring within the control chamber, mounting means within said seat ring and projecting behind an operating face of said seating lip and into said reinforcing ring to removably secure said seating ring on said rein-" forcing ring, said mounting means being accessible through said outlet portion for removing said seat ring through said outlet portion from the inside of the control chamber, a valve head operatively mounted on the mounting end portion of said valve stem for limited pivotal movement with respect thereto, and said valve head having a substantially planar forward seating face to engage said seating lip and close off fluid-fiow through said reinforcing and seating rings to the control Chamber.

2. A valve as defined in claim l wherein said mounting means comprises threaded bolts having heads positioned within said seat ring and a threaded portion removably positioned within said reinforcing ring.

3. A valve construction as defined in claim 1 wherein, said valve head has a substantially annular groove portion in its seating face in substantial alignment with said seating lip, and a gasket ring is positioned within said groove portion to directly seat upon said seating lip.

4. A vehicular tank control valve to control a substantially horizontal outflow from the tank and which is suitable for liquids of different viscosity and temperature including a relatively high temperature which comprises, a hollow longitudinally-extending integral housing body defining a liquid control Chamber therein and having an inlet vportion at one longitudinal end thereof and a closely adjacent outlet portion at substantially right angles to 7 said'inlet'portion and directly open to the inletfportion through the Control Chamber, a bonnet body, said bonnet body having a cylindrical shape of lesser diameter than said housing body and having an outWardly-projecthing mounting flange atlits front end portion, a Closing end wall at the other longitudinal end portion of said housing body, means securing' said mounting flange to said closingend wall, a Centrally-disposed stufiing box carried' by 'said Closing -end wall, a threaded guide Vcarried by said bonnet body, a valve' stem having a threaded porti'on tad-V 'end face of said reinforcing ring and an opposed end face of said seat ring,` said seat ring having a smaller 'outer diameter than the inner diameter of the inlet portiizm of said housing body to provide insulating spacing therebetween, bolts Cooperating with said seat ring and projecting into said reinforcing ring to removably secure said seat ring to said reinforcing ring within the control Chamber; said bolts being r'eadily accessible through said 'outlet portion Vfor removing said seat ring through said outletf porton from the insideof the control Chamber, and said seat ring having anv opposite end seating face facing beyond said bolts'towards said valve head to Cooperate therewith and control liquid flow to the control Chamber. i F i ReferenCes'Cited in the file of this patent `UNITED STATES PATENTS O 1,175,690 Blakeslee Mar. 14, 1916 1,298,173 Cadman Mar. 25, 1919 1,395,018 Soderstrom Oct. 25, 1921 1,540,3.80 Wilson June 2, 1925 1,674,879' 'Atkinson- June 26, '1928 1,891`,3741" Ehmann Dec. 20, 1932 1,899,154 KarriCk` Feb. 28, 1933 2,069,588 Mattimore Feb. 2, 1937 2,100`,457 Trott 'Nov. 30, '1937 2,192,339 Wilson Mar. 5,` 1940 i 2.446,767 James Aug. 10, 1948 2,479,688 Lindgren Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,943 Germany Nov. 19, 1894 580,774

Great Britain Sept. 19, 1946 

